Bathtub on Louisiana Interstate

[kg4kww]

Ok, who's to blame, the bathtub or the driver??

COVINGTON, La. — A boxed bathtub fell from the bed of a pickup truck and slid into a motorcyclist's path Saturday, critically injuring the 72-year-old rider, Louisiana State Police said.

Charles S. Warren was thrown from his motorcycle when it hit the bathtub, and was being treated at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, according to a news release from Trooper Louis Calato.

He said the motorcycle, the box and the bathtub all ended up in the grass median of Interstate 12.

The pickup's driver, Shain Autumn, 32, of Springfield, was booked with negligent injury and driving with an unsecured load, Calato said.

Full Story (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,264846,00.html)

Where's Sgt Friday when we need him??

[n2ize]

If the load was not properly secured then I would say it is on the driver or whomever was responsible for moving that load.

Not long ago the friend of a friend died when some debris from a truck broke loose and smashed through the window of his car while he was driving with his wife and kids . The debris cut the guys artery in his neck. His wife took over the controls and luckilly steered the car off the road. But the guy died later. I would imagine she would be entitled to compensation if it can be shown that the load was not properly secured.

[ve2nsm]

That's why I prefer showers over baths.

[G0GQK]

Poor old devil. That's all he needed to finish him off, let's hope he recovers well enough to get his leg over again !

G0GQK

[N5LRZ]

Hmmm why the hell is a 72 YEAR OLD dude even doing on a motorcycle in the first place.

N5LRZ

[KA7RRA]

Quote[/b] (N5LRZ @ April 09 2007,15:27)]Hmmm why the hell is a 72 YEAR OLD dude even doing on a motorcycle in the first place.

N5LRZ
are you saying since the guy is 72 he should not be on a bike? or in a car? What type of health was in that pervented him from riding a bike? you are off nothing wrong with that

[ka5piu]

Quote[/b] (N5LRZ @ April 09 2007,15:27)]Hmmm why the hell is a 72 YEAR OLD dude even doing on a motorcycle in the first place.

N5LRZ
Hello.

What the hell is up with that?
Who cares if a hundred year old is on a bike as long as he follows the rules of the road.

[KE5FRF]

I didn't even hear about this. I guess I don't watch the local news enough.

When I saw the title "Bathtub on Louisiana Interstate", my first thought was, "and this is news in my part of the deep South?" http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

Kidding, rarely would you see a bathtub. An old Lazy-boy or a washing machine maybe, but porcelain is too valuable.

[KD6NIG]

The driver. Tie your loads down or don't haul them.

I've had quite a few pickups pass me thinking stuff will just stay. I've had stuff tossed in front of me too. My wife recently had a run in with debris coming off a truck too. Cost $700 to fix. Punctured her radiator. The guy just kept going. She couldn't follow since the car started overheating pretty rapidly. Luckily it wasn't the new car http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I remember a guy hauling round tables with folding legs. He passed me, hit a bump and dropped one right in my lane. I started to brake, thinking that there was no way I was going to avoid it. The wind caught it, tossed it into the lane next to me, and a elderly couple hit it head on. It shattered their winshield but luckly didn't hit them.

The guy kept going. I called CHP and they caught him about 10 miles down the road. He had 4 tables in the back when he started. When they stopped him there was only one left. He had lost one further down the road and an 18 wheeler had hit it with his trailer tires and tore it to bits.

They arrested him, and I had to testify in court about 8 months later. I never found out what happened to him, as I couldn't stick around and watch afterward, I had to go to work again.

But I have a feeling he was found liable.

My dad used to haul stuff as part of his job. They basically made people overtie stuff down. He taught me that and I still do that today.

I get chastised for it, but I tell you what, my loads don't move. An inch. I could probably flip my dang truck and the load would stay. I usually tie stuff down with a couple ropes, then toss a cargo net over it. Its better to be safe than sorry. Its better to take that extra 5 minutes to tie and untie it.

But thats better than losing something and killing someone. Its happened too many times before. You see junk on the side of the road all the time and you have to wonder if someone hit it and got hurt before it got there.

That 'cyclist should be glad hes alive. The guy who lost it should be lucky if he still has a drivers license anymore.

I know the CHP will nail people around here. There are guys who haul pallets (well, they recover them and sell them) and will stack them sky high in a little pickup like mine (an S-10). I remember a guy getting on the freeway with a load like that, going slow in the slow lane, and the first overpass he got to took his load out. He had them stacked that high.

At rush hour. Can you imagine the looks that guy got?

[VE7NOT]

When I was a kid I remember our neighbour once hauling firewood home in his truck. He made a few trips. The thing is he would stack the wood 3 times higher the the cab of the truck!

The police finnaly visited him and told him to smarten up! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

I think he left a few 4 foot diameter pieces on the road http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[kg4kww]

Yea, these people who drive fast and don't tie down their loads real good are dangerous. I hope the the old guy on the bike gets better.

I lost a dear friend last summer due to motorcycle wreck caused by junk in the road. It wasn't a pretty sight. he tried to avoid it, lost control, went into the other lane and got nailed by a semi head on.

[kf6rdn]

Quote[/b] (ka5piu @ April 09 2007,15:00)]Quote[/b] (N5LRZ @ April 09 2007,15:27)]Hmmm why the hell is a 72 YEAR OLD dude even doing on a motorcycle in the first place.

N5LRZ
Hello.

What the hell is up with that?
Who cares if a hundred year old is on a bike as long as he follows the rules of the road.
I'll go the non PC on this,

72YO on a bike, legal? Yes. Smart? Dunno, depends on the guy.

Bike's different then a car. He might have been perfectly fine, but I know guys 65 that shouldn't be on a bike.

Course I know 20YO's that shouldn't be on bikes.

On edit - yes if the thing dropped off in front of him, it's certainly his fault no matter the skill of the rider.

[WF7A]

We don't know how close the bike rider was tailing the truck, so if he was tailgating, well...

As a veteran bike rider (30 years and climbing), I've had to lay down a bike more than a few times to either avoid hitting something or being hit by someone; it was costly money-wise, but I'm still here. (That, and at least I can say I've never done anything stupid with a bike to cause an accident.)

It must be a bike rider thing: every time I've had to lay down a bike or got hit by someone, the first thought in my head is, "My bike! How's my bike?"

[WA3WDR]

It would havebeen the same if the motorbike rider was 22 or 72. #A bathtub jumping out and greeting you at 60 MPH isn't good news.

The driver of the pickup truck was at fault, because he did not have his load under control. There might have been mitigating factors such as the motorbike was ramming the truck, etc, but I doubt that such was the case.

[KG6QHK]

Quote[/b] (N5LRZ @ April 09 2007,15:27)]Hmmm why the hell is a 72 YEAR OLD dude even doing on a motorcycle in the first place.

N5LRZ
Okay. You're just a tad off on this one. Lemme tell you a cool side story;

In our amateur radio club, we have a guy named Les (WA6EQQ). He rides motorcycles. He's over 70. At the last Merco Cycling Classic bike race, which our club provided comms coordination for, Les was the "runner", following the cycling groups on his motorcycle, and radioing in any injuries or collisions. Les played a very valuable role both days of the race, and rode his butt off on that bike! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

It's not the years in your life that make the difference; it's the life in your years!

[N5LRZ]

I will say it once again and know that I will NOT change my mind...

What the JELL is a 70 (+) doing driving ANYTHING. At that age everyone should have their driving licenses revoked and be restricted to Passagere Seat Only.

At the age of 70 your reflexs are pretty well much shot to poop compared to a healthy 25 year old with no physical impairments.

NOT to mention that VISION is almost always impaired causeing an even LONGER reaction time.

There is ONLY one thing worse than a 70 year old driver....

People who feel the need/compulsion to immediately and incessantly talk on their cell phones once they get behind the steering wheel. Ooops and also Females who apply their makeup using the rear view mirror while actually driving in heavy trafic.